Wendy's Could Soon Dethrone Burger King As Second-Biggest Burger Chain

In August, Burger King got rid its longtime mascot, a bizarre king wearing a golden crown. The coup d'etat replaced the king with a more domestic emblem, a mom. The timing, it now seems, was fortuitous -- Burger King must have known it could soon lose its royal standing as the second-biggest burger chain in America.

For now, Burger King still has its plum spot on the totem pole -- but according to Nancy Luna of the OC Register, a competitor is nipping at its heels.

Her intel came from business analyst Mark Kalinowski, who argues Wendy's has done a better job differentiating itself from market leader McDonald's than Burger King has. Wendy's has launched a number of new menu items in recent months, including natural-cut french fries with sea salt and "Dave's Hot-n-Juicy Cheeseburger." Burger King has mirrored Wendy's, with new fries and a new burger, but its moves have come later and been less dramatic than Wendy's.

Four of the 10 biggest fast food chains in the country, by revenue, have menus oriented around burgers; together, they sell tens of billions of dollars worth of food every year. The number two fast food chain overall, though, is Subway.